Land of Gold, Mountains, & Myth

A Stephen Harby Invitational Journey - Georgia: Colchis and Svaneti. Land of Gold, Mountains, & Myth Page 1

Wednesday, May 27th - Monday, June 8thArrivals: Batumi, Georgia; Departures: Tbilisi, Georgia

TOUR INSPIRATION...Last September, a group of us con-vened in Armenia and then toured portions of eastern Georgia. The trip was arranged (as this one is) by John A. Graham, and I for one was so taken by Georgia and its rich and diverse ge-nus loci merging traditions of spiritual worship with celebration of life and the fruits of the earth (and the nectars they produce), that it seemed impera-tive to return as soon as possible to see the equally interesting western part of the country, which we had, for lack

which are unique in the world. They, somewhat like the defensive towers which sprang up in Rome in the mid-dle ages, are each family’s expression of position, prestige, and the need to defend themselves. In recent times, af-ter the fall of the Soviet Union and the period of corruption in its wake, Pres-ident Mikheil Saakashvili was elected in 2004 with the promise of a progres-sive overhaul of the nation. For him, one symbol and expression of that ef-fort was architecture, and he brought in many of the world’s cutting-edge star architects to design public build-ings throughout the country. We will see notable examples of this move-ment in Batumi (Alphabetic Tower), Kutaisi (Airport and Parliament), and Tbilisi (Freedom Bridge, UNM Headquarters Building).

of time, to omit. As on that trip, we will be well looked after by John and his two colleagues in Georgian chant, who will bring another dimension to our experience and transform the ar-chitectural spaces, from ‘frozen music’ as Goethe termed it, to the liquid ar-chitecture it was intended to become. Another interesting focus of this trip is on architecture as an expression of power and prestige. We will be seeing the age-old churches, representing the appeal and force of a new religion, as well as the defensive towers in Svaneti,

Georgia: Colchis and Svaneti Land of Gold, Mountains, & Myth

Ornate gold earrings, Colchis, 1500 BC (above); Colchian coins with Greek inscription (below); Territorial map of Early Georgian States (below left);


TRAVEL PROGRAM...We begin the tour in the resort and oil-port town of Batumi (airport des-ignation BUS) on the Black Sea coast, and end at the inland city of Tbilisi (TBS), capital of Georgia. The focus of this unique itinerary will be the an-cient, medieval, and modern architec-tural and cultural monuments of the Eastern Black Sea region (ancient Col-chis) and highland Svaneti. Venturing inland, we also plan to visit the city of Kutaisi, with its fantastic medieval Christian cathedral sites, National Museum, and spice market. The jewel of the Caucasus is in the highland re-gion of Racha north of Kutaisi, and

after our visit we will travel over the Surami-Likhi range in central Georgia to visit the museums and cultural at-tractions of East Georgia. Our final day in Tbilisi will include a walking tour of the synagogue, mosque, baths, churches, and carpet shops of Old Town, as well as some of the notable modern monuments such as the Pub-lic Services Building by Italian archi-tect Maximiliano Fucksas, before a final banquet featuring the top-rated local cuisine of Georgia. This is a tour of sites, sounds, and tastes to thrill even the most seasoned travelers. Our dedicated team takes excellent care to locate and vet every hotel, restaurant, and transport. The sites of Georgia speak for themselves!

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEW...Ancient seafarers plying the eastern shores of the Black Sea encountered misty and jungle-covered precipices plunging into the coastal beachheads. These were the lands of Colchis, an ancient kingdom that historians date to at least 1300 BC. Strabo, a Greek historian himself from the Black Sea

region, wrote about both Colchis and the Soanes, one of the first references to the allied highland tribes of Svaneti. According to Greek mythology, Col-chis was a fabulously wealthy land situated on the mysterious periphery of the Greek world. Here in the sacred grove of the war god Ares, King Aeëtes hung the Golden Fleece until it was seized by Jason and the Argonauts. Colchis was also the land where the mythological Prometheus was pun-ished by being chained to a mountain while an eagle ate at his liver for re-vealing the secret of fire. The Romans called Colchis the kingdom of Lazica-Egrisi, and we visit two sites from this period: Gonio fortress on the coast, and the Archeopolis fortress inland. A unique language is spoken in former Colchis, and the women in the area have the playful reputation of being beautiful, wily, and shrewd, perhaps like the princess Medea before them.

Defensive towers, Svaneti (above); Chapel, Martvili Monastery, 9th c. (left); Synagogue, Oni, Racha, 19th c. (right).


supporting the construction of fan-tastic cathedrals in the city centers and ornately carved monasteries in remote mountain valleys. Georgian communities were also active abroad in monasteries in Greece, Antioch, Je-rusalem, and Egypt. Christianity took hold in the highland region of Svaneti in the tenth century, when more than

Traveling up a narrow gorge from the plains of ancient Colchis, the hid-den valleys of Svaneti eventually reveal themselves among the snow-capped peaks of the Great Caucasus range. In the 19th century, famous alpinist-explorers such as David Freshfield and Vittorio Sella recorded their travels through the area. Speaking an ancient language only distantly related to the Georgian of the lowlanders, the Svans are a fierce and proud people who have preserved aspects of their ancient rituals and traditions to the modern day. Certainly their three-voiced po-lyphony is intoxicating, preserving a unique tuning system without paral-lel in the world. Iconic defensive tow-ers from the 10-11th centuries lend a feeling that these villages have been

frozen in time. But the capital city has been renovated to accommodate growing tourist demand, and now fea-tures modern hotel facilities and a ski resort. The neighboring highland re-gion of Racha is described as the jewel of the Caucasus. Our main cultural destination is the unique 12th century Nikortsminda cathedral which has the finest exterior stone-carving in all of Georgia. Further into the mountains, we find a synagogue, one reminder of the pre-emigrant Jewish community that thrived in this highland reach un-til the late 1970s. CHRISTIANITY IN GEORGIA...Georgia was one of the first states to convert to Christianity in the early fourth century, and it became an im-portant socio-religious factor in the identity of Georgia as it struggled to survive against constantly invading empires. Many local legends describe the preaching of Apostles Andrew and Matias in West Georgia in the first century; Matias is said to be buried in the fortress of Gonio, and on the site where Apostle Andrew cut down a giant oak tree to prevent human sacrificies at Martvili, a seventh cen-tury limestone monastery marks the site. Certainly by the fourth century, Christianity had become stronger as a bishop from Lazica-Egrisi attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Monasticism became an impor-tant expression of Christianity, with the monarchy and local aristocracy

Scenes from the Georgian highlands; Mother Mary, 10th c. wall-painting in Chapel of village Khe, Svaneti (top left).


200 chapels appeared in every vil-lage and a unique wall-painting tra-dition flourished. In addition to the early Christian influence, Georgians are culturally closest to the ancient Mediterranean societies with their joy of song and dance, cultivation of the grape, and strong clan affiliation. Over the centuries, Persian, Turkish, and Arab words, cuisine, and values have also entered the Georgian cul-tural consciousness. Our tour leaders sing the folk songs and chants of West Georgia and Svaneti in each monas-tery church to bring these festive sites into the realm of sound.

ABOUT THE TOUR LEADERS...Ethnomusicologist and Georgian chant scholar, John A. Graham is a Ph. D. candidate at Princeton Univer-sity, where he is pursuing research for a dissertation titled “The Transmission and Transcription of Georgian Litur-gical Music, 1880-1910.” He has been leading tours since 2006, and brings his developed organizational skills, knowledge of Georgia, and passion for music and history to our tour. He will be accompanied by two semi-professional singers and ambassadors of their culture: Shergil Pirtskhelani, a native of Svaneti, and Soso Kopaleish-vili, a native of the Colchis area.

ITINERARY...

Day 1, Wednesday, May 27, BatumiGuests arriving at the Batumi inter-national airport (BUS) will be met by chauffeur and transported to a 5-star hotel downtown. Dinner with a view of the ocean.

Day 2, Thursday, May 28, BatumiAn active first day begins with a city tour of Batumi featuring several re-markable new buildings such as the Alphabetic Tower (2012) designed by CMD Ingenieros. In the afternoon, we’ll take a walk through the Batumi botanical gardens, a mountaintop sub-tropical paradise, followed by a tour of the Roman-era fortress at Gonio.

Nikortsminda cathedral, 11th c., narthex detail (top), and interior (above); Gelati Monastery, 12th c. (below);

Day 3, Friday, May 29, AnakliaLeaving Batumi, we travel north and inland to the heart of ancient Colchis visiting the 4th century Archeopolis city-fortress and the seventh century Martvili Monastery. In the afternoon, we’ll return to the Black Sea coast for one night at the Anaklia resort.

Day 4, Saturday, May 30, MestiaWe begin with a visit to the 19th cen-tury palace museum of the aristocratic Dadiani family, then pass the massive Enguri dam (1978) on our way to Svaneti. Once in the highlands, we’ll stop at a local church in the village of Latali before checking into the Mestia hotel, our base for three days.

Day 5, Sunday, May 31, MestiaOptional attendance at Orthodox lit-urgy in Mestia, or join the group on


an adventure to the top of the near-by peak (via ski-lift) for spectacular views of the Caucasus. Reconvene mid-morning at the superb National museum of Mestia, which includes several illuminated Gospels from the ninth-tenth centuries as well as a large numismatic collection. A walking tour of the defensive towers of Mestia, visit to the Jurgen Mayer Public Ser-vice Hall (2011), and a trip to see the 12th century frescoes in a local church complete the afternoon schedule.

Day 6, Monday, June 1, MestiaLeaving the bus behind, we’ll take 4x4 jeeps on a day excursion to Ushguli, the highest inhabited village in the Caucasus mountains. On the way, we’ll stop to see several ninth-century frescoed chapels including in the vil-lages of Ipari and Khe. In Ushguli, we’ll take a walk through the towers, and visit the iconic Lamara Church before returning to Mestia for dinner.

Day 7, Tuesday, June 2, KutaisiLeaving Svaneti behind, we return to the lowlands. On the way we’ll stop at the 14th century Tsalenjikha church, which features important original wall-paintings commissioned by the from the Byzantine painter Cyrus Emanuel Eugenicus. In Kutaisi, we’ll view the International Airport (2013) designed by the Dutch firm UN-Studios, the Kawaguchi Parliament building (2013).

Day 8, Wednesday, June 3, KutaisiOur day includes visits to the impres-sive Gelati Academy-Monastery and nearby Motsameta Monastery, found-ed in the early 12th century by king David the Restorer. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the reconstructed Bagrat Cathedral (10th c.), and take a walk-ing tour of Kutaisi to see the National Museum, open air spice market, and Soviet-era theater (1924).

Day 9, Thursday, June 4, ShoviThe majestic grandeur of the Ra-chan highlands are completely differ-ent than those of Svaneti, as massive limestone ridges rise far above verdant river valleys, lakes, and forests. Leav-ing Kutaisi, we visit the 11th century uniquely-planned hexagonal cathe-dral of Nikortsminda and the massive 18th century Baratoni church situated above the Rioni River on our way to the Sunset Resort in upper Racha.

St. George, 11th c., Nakipari village church, Svaneti (left); Lamara Church, 11th c. Ushguli, Svaneti (above); Gold cross detail, Mestia National Museum, Svaneti (below).


Day 11, Saturday, June 6, TbilisiWe know that you’ll be excited to visit this fascinating capital city, founded in the fifth century and retaining many important historical as well as modern buildings. We visit the Fuksas Hall of Justice (2012) and concert hall (un-finished), and the newly renovated National museum. In the afternoon, we offer a walking tour of Old Town Tbilisi featuring visits to the Catholic church, several Georgian Orthodox churches, an Armenian church, the one remaining historical mosque, one synagogue, the historic Persian baths, and the Narikala fortress (5th c.).

Day 12, Sunday, June 7, TbilisiVenturing out of Tbilisi, we take a short excursion up the Mtkvari river to visit the Church of the Cross, an im-portant architectural monument from the 6th c., the monolithic Cathedral of the Life-Giving Pillar (11th c.), and the remains of a Roman bridge built in 65 AD. The afternoon will feature a driving tour of Tbilisi to examine unique architectural buildings. Free time before our final tour banquet.

Day 13, Monday, June 8, TbilisiGuests will be transferred to Tbilisi airport to connect to their final des-tinations.

Tbilisi House of Justice, Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, exterior (above) and interior (above right); Batumi sky-line (top left); Tbilisi at night (below).

Day 10, Friday, June 5, TbilisiTo begin the day, we’ll take a walking tour of the town of Oni, which fea-tures a 19th century synagogue, a left-over from the once prominent (and ancient) Jewish community that lived here before emigrating to Israel in the 1980s. Returning to the lowlands, we’ll drive East over the Surami pass and take an afternoon rest in Gori with a visit to the Stalin Museum. Evening banquet in Tbilisi, capital city of Georgia.


REGISTRATION FORMStephen Harby Invitational Journey. Georgia: Colchis and Svaneti. Land of Gold, Mountains, & Myth Wednesday, May 27th - Monday, June 8th, 2015

Yes, I would like to attend this 12-night journey! Tour price is $5250 per person double occupancy, or $6,350 single occu-pancy based on a group of at least 8 participants.

Please provide upgraded hotel accommodations (from standard to junior suite or comparable) for $1200pp add’l.

To register please complete this registration form and send it with a deposit of $2,000 (per person) by check to Stephen Harby, 718 Cedar Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405-3810, or you may pay online by contacting Stephen Harby. Your place will be guaranteed only upon completion of the registration with payment. Only written registrations, including appropriate payment will be accepted. Final payment of balance will be due by April 1st. Also, please send a photocopy of the picture page of your passport.

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Please select one of the following: double occupancy with 2 beds I would like to have assistance booking my flights double occupancy with one bed single occupancy

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WHAT IS INCLUDED• Hotels as indicated on the itinerary based on double occupancy. A limited number of single rooms are available at an additional

supplement. Upgraded rooms will be the junior suite quality. We reserve the right to substitute other hotels of a similar quality.• Breakfast, lunch and dinner as mentioned in the itinerary (all meals, table wine, and beer. Liquors not included). • Admission to all sites as described in the itinerary.• The handling of no more than one medium size suitcases per person.• Private Coach transportation throughout.• Use of personal headset to facilitate hearing of on-site lectures and commentary.

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDEDInternational air transportation to Tbilisi. Incidental expenses such as for telephone calls, fax communications, a la carte orders or items not on the set menus, alcoholic drinks over and above table wine provided at evening meals, laundry, and any other items not specifically mentioned as included.

TRIP INSURANCEIn the event participants cancel their trip, all non-refundable payments will be forfeited. Trip cancellation insurance is recommended for this purpose.

REQUIRED TRAVEL DOCUMENTSA passport with validity for at least six months beyond end of stay, along with any visas required by host countries.


TOUR COSTSCosts have been calculated on the basis of charges and exchange rates as of December, 2014. Should these change, Stephen Harby reserves the right to make appropriate adjustments to the tour cost.

MOBILITY REQUIREMENTSWhile the trip is designed to accommodate a range of physical capabilities, it cannot accommodate those who are unable or unwill-ing to traverse uneven terrain, ascend and descend staircases and paths to scheduled itinerary destinations, and those who do not feel comfortable with daily bus trips ranging from 1 to 8 hours (there are frequent scheduled stops). The right is retained to accept or to reject any person as a member of this trip who, in the opinion of Stephen Harby is unfit for travel or whose physical or mental condition may constitute a danger to themselves or to others on the trip.

ALTERATIONS TO ITINERARYStephen Harby reserves the right to alter, modify or withdraw the itinerary if air schedules and/or events beyond his control deem it necessary.

ITINERARY DEVIATIONSStephen Harby assumes no liability or responsibility for any participant deviating from the group tour. Participants arriving and departing independently are responsible for their own transfers.

CANCELLATIONShould cancellation occur prior to 90 days before departure, full refund will be granted less a $200 service charge; within the follow-ing days prior to departure, the specified percentage of tour costs is non-refundable: 60-89 days - 20%; 45-59 days - 30%; 30-44 days - 50%; 29 days or fewer - 100 % forfeiture of entire tour cost). Cancellations must be submitted in writing; trip cancellation insur-ance is strongly recommended. There will be no refund for any tour accommodation, service, or feature not taken, or if participant cancels for any reason while tour is in progress. Any additional costs due to leaving the tour are the responsibility of the departing passenger. In these times of uncertainty in the international realm, we also have to add that should cancellation or alteration of the program occur due to civil disturbances, acts of terrorism, war, natural disaster, and other events of force majeur or acts of God (in-cluding threat or fear of same), refunds will be made only to the extent that they are recoverable by Stephen Harby, and that such can-cellation or alteration may result in the total loss of funds paid by participants. Many destinations may pose a normal risk of political instability, civil unrest, etc. It is assumed each participant has reviewed the same with respect to their own comfort level of risk and personal safety. A decision to withdraw from the trip for these reasons or any others will be bound by the same terms of cancellation.

RESPONSIBILITYStephen Harby and/or agents assume no responsibility or liability in connection with the service of any train, carriage, aircraft, motor coach, or other conveyance or hotel that may be used wholly or in part, in the performance of the tour. Neither will they be responsible or liable for any injury, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned by reason of any defect in any vehicle or through neglect or default of any company or person engaged in conveying or accommodating the passengers; nor for any delays, injuries, damages or losses resulting directly or indirectly from any acts of God, acts of governments, de jure or de facto, wars whether declared or not, hostilities, civil disturbances, terrorist activities, riots, thefts, pilferage, epidemics, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, or from any causes beyond the control of Stephen Harby, and/or agents. In the event it becomes necessary for the comfort or well being of the passengers to alter or modify the itinerary or arrangements, such alterations may be made without penalty to the tour operator and are not grounds for cancellation with refund. Additional expenses, if any, shall be borne by the passenger. The sole responsibility of the airline used is limited to that set out in the passenger contract evidenced by the tickets. This agreement becomes effective upon acceptance into the tour by Stephen Harby. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by the State of California.

Your signature below confirms that you have read the Terms and Conditions and accompanying itinerary and agree to abide by its contents.

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Land of Gold, Mountains, & Myth